PT Surge too fragile?

[Duffy]

I got my first Princeton Tec Surge flashlight last night. I was surprised at how fragile the bulb looked, just soldered onto the board on two thin posts. After impressing the neighborhood with its brightness for an hour, it stopped shining and started rattling. Sure enough, the bulb had broken off the board. It wasn't dropped, it wasn't banged up at all.

Of course I'm going to return it to Brightguy, but I'm unsure what to do next. I'm not inclined to try another Surge. Have others had good luck with its durability? I want a powerful, compact, cheap-to-buy, cheap-to-feed light for my glovebox. Any suggested alternatives in the $20-$30 range? Or should I stick to the Surge?
--Duffy Tweedy

 

[paulr]

You got an old Surge that was made with defective solder that melts when the bulb gets warmed up after a while. Send it back and get it replaced. That said, the Surge doesn't have that great a track record. I'd say try a PT40, which isn't as powerful as the Surge (it uses four AA's), but which has a much better reputation around here. Another alternative might be a Surefire G2, though the running expenses will be a bit higher.

 

[ikendu]

Yeah. My bulb melted too.

I've bought two.
First one bulb melted loose.
Second one was DOA.

I sent #2 back to TTS for a refund and #1 back to PT for repair. I won't be buying anymore. Too bad. It is a really BRIGHT AA based light. I've owned a Tec40 as well (took it back too). My favorite AA light is the UK 4AA AS2.

Duffy said: I want a powerful, compact, cheap-to-buy, cheap-to-feed light for my glovebox.

Well...how about a PT Rage. Very compact. Very bright. Cheap-to-buy ($9 @TTS). Cheap to feed. 1 hour of very bright runtime. If you plan to use it routinely, use NiMHs and it will cost almost nothing for batteries.

If it is strictly for emergencies, get a SL TT 1L ($20). The Lithium 123a won't let you down from a cold (OR hot) car and since it only uses one, it is easy to throw in a spare.

 

[paulr]

I don't think rechargeables are a good idea for a glovebox light, because of their self-discharge. Alkalines are ok if you remember to check them a few times a year. The PT Rage is a nice light but aims to be small; a glovebox can handle a somewhat bigger light (PT40).

 

[Deleted member 684]

Alkys can leak in hot weather and mess up the light really bad. Nothing about lithium leaking so far from anyone from CPF, so lithium is really the leak free, cold/hot weather proof option. Now... price wise... unless you order em in bulk, they don't come cheap.

 

[Duffy]

Thanks for the tips. I love the Rage, and have considered one for the car. I got one for my wife's purse, and it's perfect for that. The glovebox that needs a light is pretty small, so I'm looking for something no longer than 8". The TT1-L looks good, but I haven't seen a price lower than $25, nor a Rage for $9. What is this TTS you mentioned?

I hadn't really considered a 123 light, but maybe I should. This would be just for emergencies, and a 1- or 2-cell light wouldn't bring tears to my eyes to feed.

--Duffy

 

[kitelights]

Texas Tactical Supply. They are CPF sponsors. Great prices and great service. You can find them here in the Banners forum.

 

[kitelights]

Do a search for Dorcy Spyder and check with your local Costco. If you're lucky enough to find them (Costco has discontinued them) they're 2 for $26.99 and include 4 Duracell CR123s. Really nice 2 x 123 lights for the money. Perfect for a lithium glove box light. I understand that some of the west coast Costcos still have them.

 

[5.0Trunk]

I personally like the surge. I have 2, keep 1 in my car and one on the dresser in my room. I have used both for extended periods of time and never had problems with them. I have a 6p, E2E-HA,M3, a couple of mags and I still finding myself going for the surge alot.

Thanks

 

[Ray_of_Light]

I personally never had a problem with the Surges I own, but for long time storage I keep them open. You may want to tighten a bit the pins holding the lamp. If, as it looks like, you got one of the Surge with defective solder alloy, you can return it or resolder the pins with 50/50 tin/lead wire.

I heard of close relative that had the Surge exploded, leaking and melting, upon wrong NiMH battery insertion.
I agree that the Surge can show "temperamental" behavior and is much more "sensitive" than other lights to batteries status and installation, but for that price, you get a "dirty cheap" blow of light... my Z3 is brighter, lighter, but much much more expensive to run. There is, obviosly, no comparison between the two.

For glovebox use, I suggest the PT Tec40 too, since there are no safety issue with the bulb and the batteries.

Anthony

 

[d'mo]

I like mine too. It's bright enough for "bump in the night" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif distance illumination and cheap enough so I don't mind it if it gets dinged up. It's one of those lights I take camping that blows the pants of m&gs, but doesn't make people puke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif when they hear what you paid for it.

I've never had any quality or failure issues.

 

[ikendu]

Duffy said: ...just for emergencies

I definitely recommend a 123a based light then. The lithium will be there when you need it. The wonderful advantage of the TT 1L is compact, relatively inexpensive (for what you get) AND the 3 LED option. The 3 LEDs will be all you need for most lighting and will give you quite useful runtime. Also...should you ever be using the bulb for some really bright light, if it ever blows...you aren't stuck in the dark fumbling for a spare bulb or with no light entirely.

 

[TrevorNasko]

the pt surge has never failed to fail on me every time i need it- i have owned 3 btw

 

[BuddTX]

List of P/T Surge Upgrades

Received this info direct from Princeton Tec:

=============================
Bruce,

I would not reccomend using anything other then alkaline batteries.

Here is a list of our upgrades on the Surge:

- New switch material
- New switch o-ring and teflon washer
- New battery contact
- New solder for the bulb.

If you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to contact me again.

Thanks,


Jay Harrington
Customer Service Representative
==============================================

 

[BC0311]

[ QUOTE ]
I want a powerful, compact, cheap-to-buy, cheap-to-feed light for my glovebox. Any suggested alternatives in the $20-$30 range? Or should I stick to the Surge?
--Duffy Tweedy


[/ QUOTE ]

Duffy, you can check out the lengths of several lights on Brightnorm's chart, here:

Brightnorm's Flashlight Specs

You can get the Pelican M6 (2L, 108 Lumens) from Batterystation.com (via their CPF Member's special page) for $30 and DP123As for $1.00 each (both plus shipping). It's under 8" in length and is an excellent light. You can access TBS's CPF Member Special Page through the link provided in their posts on the "Dealers" forum here.

The Streamlight Twin Task 2L is my glovebox light and has survived a south Texas summer unaffected. It can be found for $30.00 or less and is highly recommended by many members here.

The Underwater Kinetics UK-2L is also a short light (approx 4")and available for between $24-30.00 and has been recommended by several members here.

Surefire sells their SF123A's for about $15.00 for 12 of them right off their website.

BC

 

[BuddTX]

List of P/T Surge Upgrades

Changed the thread of this post for other interested P/T Surge owners

 

[BC0311]

Duffy, here's the link to Batterystation.com's CandlePowerForum Members' Specials page:

BatteryStation's CPF Members' Specials Page

BC

 

[TrevorNasko]

you all know what i think of the PURGE

 

[paulr]

Don't take those lumen ratings seriously; they're not comparable between manufacturers. The Surge/Purge is much more powerful than any 2L light except possibly a Surefire with a P61. Otherwise you have to go to a 3L light like a Streamlight TL3 or a Surefire D3. That said, the Surge does seem to have some quality control and design problems. I think a PT40 or a 2L light may be a better choice even though it's less powerful. If you want a real monster light for your car, get a $20 Vector spotlight that plugs in the cig lighter socket. It won't fit in your glovebox, but it will blow any flashlight away.

 

[tankahn]

I won't touch Princetons anytime soon, except for their basic models. My new surge has a black tiny weenie little spring loaded switch (about the size of the letter $ on your keyboard) next to the batteries. Its easy to knock it off while changing batteries. I did and it took me half an hour searching for it. Need a huge magnifying class, a pair of tweezers, and a illuminating torch to insert it back. The bulb is soldered to the whole battery housing, which is rather large for a 8 AA torch. If the bulb blows I supposed I have to send the whole housing in for bulb replacement. If you are a foreign buyer like I am, shipping costs is a huge turnoff. Somebody says a useless torch is a still a tool to hold spare batteries. So I am not really disappointed afterall. Also taught me not to muck about trying to save pennies. Surefires for me from now on.